"It was difficult to concentrate but I'm used to playing with my wife Steffi Graf" - When Andre Agassi joked about model ball girls at Madrid Masters
Andre Agassi was the first-ever champion at the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, when the inaugural edition was held in 2002. Former Romanian tennis player and businessman, Ion Tiriac, had ownership rights to the event at the time, and he introduced models between the ages of 19 and 28 to work as ball girls from 2004 onwards.
The models, hired through Spanish agencies, were made to wear Hugo Boss-sponsored tank tops and mini skirts. The brand logo was even printed on the girls' bodies.
The move resulted in severe criticism from fans, with many claiming that the tournament was objectifying women to attract more views and increase the ratings.
No. 2 seed Agassi received a bye in the first round in 2004, and defeated Max Mirnyi of Belarus in straight sets in the second round. In a press conference after the match, the American was asked about his first experience with models instead of regular ball kids in shorts and t-shirts.
Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, joked about getting distracted initially but added that it wasn't a huge issue for him since he played with his wife Steffi Graf.
"It was difficult, to say the least, to concentrate on the ball," Andre Agassi said. "But I suppose I had an advantage. I'm used to playing with my wife. But the skirts look like they're a little difficult to run in, too. I think they need to be shorter maybe."
The former World No. 1 then adopted a more serious approach to his answer, remarking that he wasn't fully convinced tennis needed a change like this.
"I suppose I need some time to let it absorb. You know, I think it's important for our sport to understand its product clearly. And I'm not quite convinced it's part of our product," he said.
Agassi reached as far as the semifinals of the 2004 Madrid Open, where he fell to eventual champion Marat Safin in straight sets.
This year, meanwhile, the Madrid Open has turned to models in crop tops and mini skirts as ball girls. But they feature only on the center court of the La Caja Magica Stadium — Manolo Santana — when the men are playing.
Understandably, the last few days have seen outrage from tennis fans once again.
Andre Agassi and Carlos Alcaraz's serves are similar, says former coach
Carlos Alcaraz's serve routine recently reminded Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert of his former student. Gilbert took to social media to point out similarities between Alcaraz and Agassi's serves, saying that it was an "underrated" aspect of the American's game.
"Most underrated part of AA @AndreAgassi game was his serv, especially the kick serve and ability to serve wide in both courts at his size, Escape from Alcaraz very similar with size and his kick is a Mule kick," Gilbert tweeted.
Defending champion Alcaraz will take on Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany in the final of the 2023 Madrid Open on Sunday, May 7. A win on Sunday will see the Spaniard get within touching distance of the World No. 1 ranking again.